


One by One

by brandnewfashion



Series: Off the Mark [2]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Not Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-08 00:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1920564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandnewfashion/pseuds/brandnewfashion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It isn’t much of a shock that Natasha finds out first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One by One

**Author's Note:**

> This is the epilogue that was at the end of [Off the Mark](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1106770/chapters/2226965), _so it isn't new_. However, I'm turning the fic into a series, so I decided to make the epilogue separate. 
> 
> I guess this could be read as a standalone, but you should really read the first fic.

**Natasha**

Steve and Tony never intended to hide their relationship from the rest of their teammates, but they didn’t feel the need to broadcast it to them all so soon either.

Regardless, it isn’t much of a shock that Natasha finds out first.

It’s well past midnight, but the band is livelier than they were three hours ago, and the party goers are hanging off one another like their lives depend on it.

Natasha’s seen quite a bit in her life, but she’s never seen such an expansive supply of booze disappear so quickly. 

She doesn't know whether to be horrified or impressed. 

Natasha notices Steve emerge from the balcony.  He walks with purpose, not like the wallflower he usually plays at these functions.  She fully expects him to seek her out like he usually does: they often kept each other company while the rest of the team (mainly Tony) makes nice with the rest of the guests.

She’s surprised when Steve doesn’t approach her. 

In fact, he doesn’t approach the rest of the team at all, but Natasha catches a glimpse of a plastic keycard in his hand and—

No way. 

He wouldn’t—

…or would he? 

Steve bypasses them all and heads for the exit, taking the long way around by walking along the perimeter of the room.  He takes one last glance around the ballroom before slipping out into the lobby of the hotel. 

For the first time in years, Natasha is genuinely confused.  She knows Steve, and he isn’t the type for late night trysts in hotels, even if these kinds of parties aren’t his thing.  Maybe she doesn’t know Steve as well as she thinks.  

Then she sees Tony re-enter the room from… the balcony? How did he manage to slip out from her radar?

Tony starts walking over in Natasha’s direction, but changes course when he notices her.  He spares the partygoers one last glance before leaving through the same set of double-doors that Steve did. 

She whistles lowly. “That son of a bitch actually did it.”

“Who did what?” Clint asks, casually draping an arm around her shoulders.  He knocks back the rest of the Jack and Coke in his glass. “Did I miss something?”

“Oh, nothing. Thor just challenged Sam to a drinking game.”

“What?!  Why am I not in on this?” Clint exclaims, making a beeline for their team's table.

Natasha looks back towards the exit and smiles. 

**Clint**

Clint finds out the next morning.  The hungover archer ambles toward the kitchen to find Tony making an omelet.  However, it isn’t the genius that catches his attention, but the half-naked super-soldier plastered against his back.  Clint rubs his eyes and does a double-take, unsure if it’s actually a hallucination.

Nope, they’re still there.

“I’m never going to be able to finish making breakfast if you d-don’t stop doing that,” Tony says, his breath hitching as Steve leaves a mark on his shoulder blade.

“Stop doing what?” Steve asks innocently as he kisses Tony’s neck.

“Oh, God.  Stop—Steeeve.” The brunet groans when the other man leaves a mark just below where his shirt collar would be.  There’s a loud  _clang_  when the metal spatula falls to the floor, but the two men are completely oblivious to the noise.  

Clint is amazed that Steve hasn’t already noticed his presence in the entryway; after all, it isn’t very easy to distract a man with heightened senses.

He considers making his presence known, but ultimately decides against it for two reasons: 

  1.      If his assumptions are correct, then whatever is currently going on between Tony and Steve is still very new.  Regardless of how pathetic he had found Tony’s pining, and how hard of a time he had given the other man, Clint knows that he’s intruding on a very private moment.   
  

  2.      Clint really doesn’t want to see what all of this  _cuddling_  could escalate to.



Clint sneaks out of the kitchen, extra careful so as not to make any noise.  However, it’s proven to be futile when he hears the loud crash of a plate falling onto the floor, followed by a low, drawn out moan.

Clint’s really,  _really_ glad that he didn’t stick around.

**Bruce**

Bruce makes the discovery when he goes down to Tony’s lab to go over the results of a few experiments he’s finished recently.  He senses that something is off the moment he steps out of the elevator: the lights in the lab are turned down low, and the accompanying silence is actually  _more_ deafening than the rock music that Tony usually blasts while working.  

The lack of music usually signals that Tony’s passed out at his desk, but that’s been happening less and less ever since Steve’s moved in.  If Tony really has been working this much again and neglecting his own health, then Steve was probably off on some last-minute mission.

Realizing that a cranky, sleep-deprived billionaire would probably be the last thing that Steve would want to encounter upon returning home, Bruce thinks it would probably be best for him to assume the role of the mother hen and herd the eccentric genius to his room (so maybe that would make him more of a sheepdog than a mother hen?).

However, when he raises his hand to input his access code into the panel, he catches a glimpse of blond hair toward the back of the workshop.  There are at least a dozen dimmed holograms littered around the room, so it’s kind of hard to see, but Bruce is 100% positive that the man standing next to the work bench is their team leader.

…and that the man kneeling in front of him is—

Holy _shit_. 

Bruce feels his face heat up and scrambles back to the elevator, furiously pressing the button for his own lab.  

**Thor**

Thor finds out when he goes to the gym for his weekly sparring session with Steve.  He sees Steve and Tony wrestling on the mat, but doesn’t realize anything is amiss until a few minutes later when they start shedding their clothing.

He hightails it out of the room so he can break the news to Jane.  

**Sam**

Sam gets back from a week-long mission in South America with Clint and Natasha, and all he wants to do is kick back with an ice cold beer.  The last thing he expects to see in the living room is Steve and Tony, asleep and tangled up on the couch, looking far too close for it to be even remotely platnoic.

To say he's surprised is an understatement, but then Natasha and Clint head straight to the kitchen, not even batting an eyelash at the sleeping couple.  

Sam gapes. “Oh, come on! You guys knew and didn’t tell me?!” he hisses after them, obviously offended that he hadn’t been told. 

Natasha just presses a finger to her lips to shush him.

Sam glances back at the sleeping couple.  It’s obvious that this development is new.  Like the other Avengers, Sam’s had to suffer through months of Steve and Tony dancing around each other.  But between Tony’s denial and Steve’s obliviousness, he’s surprised they got together so soon. 

He moves to follow the two spies into the kitchen, but bumps into the coffee table and almost knocks over a vase.  The noise makes Tony stir, but the man just snuggles closer to Steve and falls back asleep. 

Sam can’t resist the open opportunity, so he snaps a quick picture on his phone and attaches it to a mass e-mail.

**…and that is how Fury finds out.**

_And_ the rest of SHIELD. 

Ten minutes later, JARVIS alerts the couple of an e-mail from Maria Hill:

 _While SHIELD does not prohibit fraternization within the organization,_  
inappropriate public displays of affection on SHIELD property  
are highly discouraged and may result in disciplinary action.

_That means you, Stark._

Tony scowls. “Well, that’s just rude.”

“It’s only addressed to you,” Steve points out after reading the memo again.

“I kind of figured that, what with how Hill singled me out.  Besides, what difference does that make?”

Steve shrugs. “They never said anything about  _me_ initiating things.”   

“Oh, my!" Tony exclaims, placing his hand on Steve's chest. "You are positively insatiable, Captain Rogers.”

“Funny.  I was about to say the same about you,” Steve says.  He leans in for a kiss, but is interrupted when a grape hits him square on the nose.  Steve and Tony look towards the kitchen and find Clint, Natasha and Sam sitting at the table. 

"When did you get back?" Tony asks, trying for small talk.

“I swear, if you fuck on that couch, I will not hesitate to shoot you both," Clint says.    

“My house, my rules, Barton!” Tony retorts.

Steve rolls his eyes. “I guess you all know, huh?”

“Yes!” Sam says exasperatedly. 

“It would appear that we are lousy at hiding," Tony remarks. 

Natasha scoffs. "Were you actually <em>trying</em> to be discreet?" 

Steve gets off the couch and pulls Tony up with him. "Come on, let's go." 

Tony looks at him questioningly. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere a little more private,” Steve answers.

“Why?" Tony whines. "It’s just  _Clint_.  He throws around empty threats all the time.” 

“He might, but I don’t,” Natasha says as she steps into the living room, Clint and Sam in tow with enough popcorn and snacks to feed a small army.  

“Movie night?” Tony asks them.

“Yes,” Bruce replies as he and Thor enter the room as well. “You two are more than welcome to join so long as the PDA stays at a PG rating.”

“Aw, now where’s the fun in that, Brucey-bear?” Tony teases. “I thought you were all into free love and whatever.”

“Hey, don’t get us wrong,” Clint says. “We don’t give a fuck what you guys do; we’d just appreciate it if you kept it behind closed doors.”   

“Riiight.  Fair enough. So…” Tony looks up at Steve and links their , “Your room?”  

Steve kisses his temple. “Yours is closer.”

“Enjoy your night!" Thor calls out after the retreating couple. "May it be pleasurable, and the orgasms plentiful!” 

Sam and Clint double over laughing. “Man, do you Asgardians really talk like that?”

“No,” Thor grins, “but I enjoy humor at the expense of my friends just as much as the next person.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr [here](http://brandnewfashion.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
